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[Minccino]

I apologize if this is a silly question, but I'm a new Chin owner as of Friday!

I've noticed that my chin, Eli, doesn't sleep in his little home/hideouts. He just sleeps in a random open place in his cage. Is this normal? I thought they normally liked being confined/hidden while sleeping.. Maybe he doesn't like his hideouts. Should I buy him a new one? I just want to make sure my little one is comfortable!

Does any one else's chin sleep in the open? 

[GrayRodent]

Congrats on your new pet. It is normal behavior. In my opinion it is desirable to have a chinchilla that does not feel the need to hide all of the time. It is likely he will spend more time in there eventually and develop a routine as he adjusts to his new home.

[Minccino]

Thank you for the reply! It makes me feel good that he seems happy in his new home.

I guess I'm just used to seeing them constantly hiding in pet stores.. It makes sense that they want to be tucked away from all the noise and strangers.

[Jasonred79]

Popsicle doesn't hide from people... what he does hide from, strangely enough, is sunlight. He is fine with the flouroscent lights that keep my room lit, but he will take any hiding spot that lets him avoid being exposed to sunlight. Huh.

[GrayRodent]

You have a smart chinchilla.

[Jasonred79]

Who has a smart chinchilla?
And what shows that the chin is smart?

[GrayRodent]

Direct sunlight can be deadly to chinchillas. One breeder, JoAnn, calls them death rays, because sometimes chinchillas wake up some time after the light hits them, but they have become so overheated it is too late to save them. So your chinchilla is smart to avoid sunlight.